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SB 201 
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1919 
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,^ NITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 
DEPARTMENT CIRCULAR 44, 



Contribution from the Bureau of Plant Industry 

(Forage-Crop Investigations). 

WM. A. TAYLOR, Chief. 



ITALIAN RYE-GRASS {Lolium multiflomm). 

Few grasses have been more exploited than Italian rye-grass. It 
is closely related to perennial rye-grass and much resembles it in 
general appearance. It grows to a height of from 1^ to 3 feet. In 
the moist climate of England it has been very popidar as a hay plant 
and is said to yield four to eight cuttings there when watered with 
liquid manure. The under surface of the long, narrow leaves has a 
bright, glossy color, which makes it an attractive lawn grass. Ital- 
ian rye-grass is an annual plant; yet it sometimes lives more than 
one 3'ear, though seldom more than two years. 

VALUE. 

The chief value of Italian rye-grass is for an annual hay crop, for 
temporary lawns, and for winter grazing in the South. The seed 
usually germinates well, and the gi-ass makes a vigorous growth. 
This is one of the few grasses that will produce a crop of hay the 
same season it is sown. It is especially useful to produce a turf 
quickl}'- and often forms a prominent part of lawn mixtures. Italian 
rye-grass is more drought resistant than perennial rye-grass and has 
been used to some extent under dry-land conditions, especially in 
California. 

USES. 

This grass is used to some extent in the South to produce winter 
grazing on Bermuda-grass sod. As an annual hay plant it does not 
yield the quantity that millet or Sudan grass will produce and so is 
not commonly grown for hay. It is an excellent grass to include in 
mixtures for both pastures and lawns. The rye-grass will make an 
early growth and then give way to the slower growing perennials. 
The increased yield the first season will usually more than pay for 
the extra expense of seeding. If seeded early in the fall in the 
South Atlantic States it will produce a crop of hay the following 
spring in time to allow the seeding of a crop of soy beans or cowpeas 
on the same land. 

120371°— 18 ; ' 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



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, \ SOIL AND CLIMATE. ^ '^ ™6 696 6 

Italian rye-grass will grow under a great variety of soil and cli- 
matic conditions. In the East it does best with an abundance of 
moisture. It is used on the irrigated lands of the West with excel- 
lent results. A rich, moist loam is best suited to its culture. 

SEED. 

The seed of Italian rye-grass weighs about 24 pounds to the 
bushel. Most of it is imported from England. The seed usually 
sells at a reasonable price and generally may be depended upon to 
be of good quality. 

CULTURE. 

A firm subsoil with a fine, mellow seed bed is desirable for seed- 
ing. When used on Bermuda-grass sod the old turf should be har- 
rowed, preferably both before and after seeding. Good results are 
often obtained by seeding with a disk drill, which cuts the turf and 
covers the seed. When seeded alone it requires from 25 to 30 pounds 
of seed to the acre to give a full stand. A smaller quantity is suffi- 
cient on a well-prepared seed bed if care is taken to give an even 
seeding. In mixtures with other grasses arid clovers, 8 to 10 pounds 

of seed to the acre will be sufficient. 

Lyman Carrier, 

Agronomist. 
Washington, D. C, May 31, 1919. 



WAfeHli'GTON : GOVERNMENT PRINTING Oil ICE : 1919 



Digitized by the Internet Archive 
in 2010 with funding from 
The Library of Congress 



http://www.archive.org/details/italianryegrasslOOunit 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 




002 766 696 6 



